The hardest camera wrap up ever

There are so many great cameras on the market today that this morning, when we covered cameras on the Today Show it was the hardest camera segment ever. Without even looking at DSLR models, we looked at prices as low as $100 all the way through to $1000. When have we ever been this blessed to be offered such a wide choice of options? I can’t remember, in fact if this was three years ago we would be looking at models from $300 to $1200.

In prepping for the segment it was a case of what to leave out rather than what to put in. First we built a short list of 20 models. Then we spent about three hours arguing over which models we should request, so we could try them out, then put together a list of four final models that we would present. It was challenging because each model had an area of value that I felt would appeal to viewers and help them to take great shots, with the budget they had. Sure, if you have $1000 you can take better pictures and video than if you $150, but that is a given.

Each model in that shortlist was there because it was a good quality solution, it was hard to finish with four, but we only had three minutes of air time to make our suggestions.

Before finalising the list, I hit twitter to see if there was one particular model that would come back from the twitterverse as being a ‘must include’ model. But nothing really stood out from the responses as being loved by so many.

We Finished with these and I look forward to getting your feedback on whether they are helpful as you hunt for a new camera to capture your future memories.

Olympus VG-140

14 million pixels in the high-resolution – Create poster-sized prints without losing a single detail.

The 5x Wide Angle (26mm) Optical Zoom.

Fits easily in pocket

3.-inch LCD Screen

One Touch HD Movie

Magic Art Filters. Joining, Pop Art, Pin Hole, Drawing, Fish Eye, and Soft Focus ISO Sensitivity (Max): 1600

$149

Ricoh PX Compact

Waterproof (3m), shockproof (1.5m), dust/dirt/sand-proof

Dedicated movie button

Independent lever-style flash dial for quick and easy operation

Premium shooting modes incl. a unique ‘auction’ mode, which enables you to take three Images and combine them into one single image, ideal for sites like ebay

Creative shooting modes incl. toy camera and miniaturise (among others)

coloured silicon sleeves for added protection, grip and style

5 x wide zoom lens (10x equivalent with super-resolution technology)

$299

Nikon Coolpix P300 Compact

Features a fast f/1.8 lens

4.2 x wide angle zoom lens with built in lens-shift vibration reduction

Full HD video recording

PASM shooting modes for diversity

A lot of technology in a little package

$499

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 Micro Four Thirds

Downsized by almost 20 percent over last version

The camera offers the intuitive touch-control shooting

World’s smallest and lightest Interchangeable Lens System Camera

A redesigned shutter offers consecutive shooting up to 3.8 frames per second.

Designed for low light environments.

Touch-control operations. For example, Touch-Scroll Playback allows the photographer to scroll through images by sliding a finger across the LCD.

1920 x 1080 Full-HD AVCHD high quality video recording

Between $899-$999 depending on options